Rafa sends out signal of intent!

Cast your mind back to the end of January and Rafael Nadal was forced to pull out of his Australian Open quarter-final with Marin Cilic with yet another agonising injury.

The 31-year-old cut a despondent figure in his press conference having retired for just the second time in 264 Grand Slam matches.

Nadal has deservedly become tennis royalty, but he has also had to deal with a succession of injuries along the way across his body.

Despite these ailments, the 16-time Grand Slam champion continues to strive for more success, for more trophies and more magical moments within the confines of the court.

It’s been another grueling rehab for the Majorcan, who was forced to withdraw from another comeback in Acapulco at the end of February.

“There have been some tough moments over the past few months,” admitted Nadal on Davis Cup duty in Valencia. “But that is part of sport and that is part of my career.”

The Plaza de Toros de Valencia, a magnificent, unique Bullring stadium, was an apt arena for the world No.1 to make his gladiatorial return to competitive action.

A cauldron which produced a boisterous atmosphere for the pulsating performances, which Nadal hailed as the “perfect” place to make his long-awaited comeback.

Well, his Davis Cup heroics certainly announced his return to the top tiers of the ATP Tour.

How to slide on clay, with Jim Courier, Justine Henin and Mats Wilander.

The king of clay is back

Firstly, he dismantled Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to set the tone for La Roja as he set a record 23rd consecutive Davis Cup match win (in singles and doubles).

Following a grueling doubles, Germany held a 2-1 lead heading into Sunday’s pivotal singles and Nadal had to suppress ‘Next Gen’ star Alexander Zverev.

With staggering conviction, barreling forehands and miraculous athleticism, the ‘King of clay’ made a seamless return to his favoured red dirt with a 6-1 6-4 6-4 victory.

How can you compete with that level and consistency on clay?

“It’s a great feeling to be back in front of my people, these have been unforgettable days for me,” declared Nadal, who hasn’t lost a Davis Cup singles rubber since defeat on debut by Jiri Novak in 2004.

“I’m feeling comfortable back on the clay, that’s very important for me.”

Having dispatched the world No.4 with such consummate ease, the Spaniard will have struck fear into the other leading lights of men’s tennis.

A pure rollercoaster of emotions

Ultimately, ATP stalwart David Ferrer outlasted Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (1) 3-6 7-6 (4) 4-6 7-5 in the deciding rubber in Valencia to book Spain their first semi-final since 2012 against reigning champions France.

Following the enthralling day’s play, Nadal confirmed he has a “total” commitment to the Davis Cup journey in 2018 and that was etched across his face all weekend.

The 31-year-old was particularly vocal on the Spain bench, orchestrating the crowd into a cacophony of noise, whilst dishing out advice to both players and team captain Sergi Bruguera. He leapt up in celebrations and slumped back in despair at times, it was a pure rollercoaster of emotions for the world No.1.

The ultimate competitor is hungry for more success

We’ve known Nadal is fiercely patriotic for years, he’s already clinched Davis Cup glory on four occasions (2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011).

With 16 Grand Slams and two Olympic gold medals also within his trophy cabinet, it is astonishing the level of passion that he evoked in Valencia this weekend.

The ultimate competitor is far from satisfied with his extensive haul and if this Davis Cup tie is anything to go by, the reigning Roland-Garros champion is hungry for more silverware success.

Rafa's title pursuit in Paris

Nadal’s timely return to the Tour enables him to plan his title pursuit in Paris to perfection.

His clay court campaign will begin at the Monte Carlo Masters next week, where unsurprisingly the 31-year-old is the reigning champion.

In fact, Nadal has 10 titles at the event, including a record eight consecutive titles between 2005-2012.

He swatted aside the whole field in 2017 to rule in the municipality of Monaco, igniting his charge to lifting an unprecedented ‘La Decima’ at Roland-Garros.

Nadal - Wawrinka, final 2017: the highlights

Favorite to rule on the red dirt

Using his usual path to Paris, Nadal has an imposing trophy tally at Monte Carlo (10), Barcelona (10), Madrid (5) and Rome Masters (7).

So, it isn’t anything unusual that Nadal will be in contention for titles on the clay. As per the past decade, he will be favourite to rule on the red dirt.

However, his Davis Cup demolition of Zverev, coupled with his fierce competitiveness illustrated at the Bullring last weekend, proves the Mallorcan still has the drive to keep chasing Major honours.

The ‘King of clay’ already has a stunning legacy, but the signs from Valencia were ominous for the chasing pack.